Current:Home > ScamsMichigan man cleared of killing 2 hunters to get $1 million for wrongful convictions -Excel Wealth Summit
Michigan man cleared of killing 2 hunters to get $1 million for wrongful convictions
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:06:11
DETROIT (AP) — The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $1.03 million to a man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two hunters before the convictions were thrown out in February.
Jeff Titus, 71, qualified for compensation under the state’s wrongful conviction law, which pays $50,000 for every year behind bars. Records show Court of Claims Judge James Redford signed off on the deal on Aug. 23.
“Our goal is to hold accountable those who are responsible for the harm done to Mr. Titus. The state’s acknowledgment of his wrongful conviction is a start,” attorney Wolfgang Mueller said Friday.
Titus had long declared his innocence in the fatal shootings of Doug Estes and Jim Bennett near his Kalamazoo County land in 1990.
He was released from a life sentence earlier this year when authorities acknowledged that Titus’ trial lawyer in 2002 was never given a police file with details about another suspect. Thomas Dillon was an Ohio serial killer whose five victims between 1989 and 1992 were hunting, fishing or jogging.
There is no dispute that the failure to produce the file violated Titus’ constitutional rights. In June, Kalamazoo County prosecutor Jeff Getting said Titus would not face another trial.
“I don’t know who ultimately murdered Mr. Estes and Mr. Bennett,” said Getting, who wasn’t involved in the 2002 trial.
There was no physical evidence against Titus, who was portrayed at trial as a hothead who didn’t like trespassers. The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school worked to exonerate him.
Dillon died in prison in 2011.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
veryGood! (83332)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Are there any perfect brackets left in March Madness? Yes ... but not many after Kentucky loss
- Detroit Lions release CB Cam Sutton after alleged domestic violence incident
- Beyoncé’s Rep Appears to Respond After Erykah Badu Criticizes Album Cover
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Duke's Caleb Foster shuts it down ahead of NCAA Tournament
- Little Rock, Arkansas, airport executive director shot by federal agents dies from injuries
- Fifth suspect charged in Philadelphia bus stop shooting that wounded 8
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Drawing nears for $997M Mega Millions jackpot
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- In 1979, a boy in Illinois found the charred remains of a decapitated man. The victim has finally been identified.
- Dominic Purcell Shares Video of Tish and Brandi Cyrus Amid Rumored Family Drama
- Delta pilot gets 10 months in jail for showing up to flight drunk with half-empty bottle of Jägermeister
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Duke's Caleb Foster shuts it down ahead of NCAA Tournament
- Richard Higgins, one of the last remaining survivors of Pearl Harbor attack, dies at 102
- Drawing nears for $997M Mega Millions jackpot
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of man who killed couple in 2006
Save 44% on the TikTok-Loved Solawave Skincare Wand That Works in 5 Minutes During Amazon's Big Sale
Julia Fox Turns Heads After Wearing Her Most Casual Outfit to Date
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
The Best Maternity Swimsuits That Are Comfy, Cute, and Perfect for Postpartum Life
Requiring ugly images of smoking’s harm on cigarettes won’t breach First Amendment, court says
Chicago police officer wounded, man dead after gunfire exchanged during traffic stop, police say